When you move into a house, you generally inspect the plumbing, check the roof and look for termites, but, in most cases you have no idea who your neighbors are. You might be lucky and get the kind who bring over a home cooked meal your first night there, want to be surrogate grandparents to your kids and are the "live and let live" type of people. Then there's the other side of the coin: the neighbors from hell. They come in many varieties. They call the police when you play your music too loud, call the dog warden the first time your dog sets foot (or paw) on their property and think no one can park in front of their house but them. On the other hand, maybe you are the neighbors from hell. You complain when their tree grows a foot over the property line, think they shouldn't mow the lawn on your day off and think children should be seen and not heard. Like it or not, you may be neighbors for years to come. They're like family....you might not like them, but they're not going away, so it may be best to call a truce and make life more peaceful for all of you.

The Ohio Valley (and the rest of West Virginia and Ohio) is predicted to experience record low temperatures today, and the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a Wind Chill Warning for our area to remain in effect until 10:00 am Wednesday morning. The attorneys and staff at Bordas & Bordas have braved the weather to come into the office today, and would like to share the following cold weather tips for you and your family. We hope you all stay warm and safe as this "polar vortex" holds us all in its grips!

January 26 th is quickly approaching, and you know what that means: The 56 th Annual Grammy Awards are almost upon us! Daft Punk. Pink. Kendrick Lamar. They are all set to perform! Justin Timberlake. Jay-Z. Willie Nelson. They will all be in attendance! Sadly, most of us will only be able to view this star-studded event from our television screens. It doesn't have to be this way though. The opportunity of a lifetime is within reach! Bordas & Bordas and WTRF 7 are sending one lucky Ohio Valley resident and a guest to the Grammys! We have prepared everything for you: two tickets to the live 56 th Annual Grammy Awards, two paid round-trip plane tickets to Los Angeles, first class hotel accommodations at The Standard , shuttle transportation, two tickets to the official Grammy After-Party, admission to the Grammy Museum and $300 in spending money! All you have to do is relax, plan out your outfit and think about what conversations you could have with Beyoncé.

The death of a loved one is devastating for the families left behind, often bringing a seemingly overwhelming flood of grief and emptiness that makes it very difficult to concentrate on anything else. When a loved one dies in a hospital or nursing home setting, hardly anyone thinks about the possibility that their death was preventable in the immediate aftermath of their passing. It is typically only after a loved one has been laid to rest that a family's thinking turns towards the medical treatment that preceded the death. Unfortunately, medical errors have been determined to be the third leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for up to 440,000 deaths in this country every year , and oftentimes an autopsy is the only way to know whether a medical error was involved.

Pope John Paul II called Christmas that - "our peace and our joy" - in his Christmas message twenty years ago. John Paul II, to be declared a saint this coming April, delivered a message of peace at Christmas in every year of his papacy and the message never grew tired, as every year it was preached in a world at war. One of his predecessors, John XXIII, had spoken, decades earlier, of the causes of war - what he called an "international sickness": These causes are: "the violation of the rights and dignity of the human person and the overruling of the rights of the family and of labor; the overthrow of the juridical order and of the healthy idea of the state in keeping with the Christian spirit; impairment of the liberty, integrity and security of other nations to whatever extent; the systematic oppression of the cultural and language characteristics of national minorities; the egotistical calculations of all who strive to seize control of the economic sources of the materials of common use to the detriment of other peoples; and in particular, the persecution of religion and of the Church."

"Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it." Beyonce's hit song Single Ladies was all over the radio and television in 2008. While the hook got caught in most everyone's head at some point, it actually was pretty good advice. It seems like a significant number of people out there don't take their significant others seriously enough and either run from idea of marriage or do it for the wrong reasons. Getting engaged and getting married is serious business. It takes commitment, hard work, and dedication to one another. Carrie Scanlon touched on these issues in her recent blog about advice she would give her younger self.

For the past three years, Christmas has held a very distinct significance for me: the end of the semester and a break from school. Sure there were decorations, and Christmas carols on the radio, and presents and parties, but more importantly, there were no exams to stress over, no research papers to stay up late to finish, and no heavy law books to haul to and from the library each day. By the time I had completed my final exams, I didn't care whether it was Christmas, or a random Tuesday in April, so long as it meant I got to sleep in and watch hours of bad reality television again. This year, I began to realize that I was having a very different reaction to Christmas than I had experienced in recent years. I noticed which Christmas carols were played most often on the radio. I took time to drive through my neighborhood, and Oglebay Park, and admire the wonderful light displays. I spent a few evenings writing Christmas cards to all of my friends and relatives. Christmas really became a season for me, rather than just a day of the year. And, in addition to my increased enjoyment of Christmas all around me, I felt compelled to celebrate the season in another way I had not done in years, by volunteering my time to share the holidays with others.

Plaid, stripes, sequins, lights, ornaments. Put them together and what do you get? The infamous and celebrated Ugly Christmas Sweater. How do we celebrate the travesties? By partaking in the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater party, of course! What was once considered an obscene taste in fashion has now become an acclaimed hit in workplaces and social gatherings around the world. Where did it all begin? Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada claims to be the birthplace of the first Ugly Christmas Sweater party in 2002. For more information, check out www.christmassweaterparty.com .

Christmas is quickly approaching, and between all the shopping, decorating, parties and baking, it recently hit me that this will be the first year I won't be in Wheeling with my family on Christmas day. Even though I'm excited to be spending the holiday with someone special to me and his family, knowing that I won't be "Home for the Holidays" this year has made me reflect on Christmases from my past. Of course, there are all the wonderful childhood memories I have, such as waking up to find that Santa brought me the most amazing Barbie Dream House or that he delivered a teddy bear to Grandma and Grandpa's house for me, but it's the more recent Christmases that stand out to me now.

This Christmas season, like every Christmas season, we are getting the chance to revisit the age-old conflict between those who say "Merry Christmas" and those who say "Happy Holidays." One's choice of holiday greeting can quickly become the subject of discussion, dispute, debate and finally fist fights and assaults. A few days ago, a Salvation Army Bell Ringer found herself physically assaulted for telling the wrong person "Happy Holidays." It should go without saying (but apparently it doesn't) that the hostility and attitude on display when it comes to "Merry Christmas"/"Happy Holidays" these days is not exactly in the Christmas spirit. Some people who say "Happy Holidays" are accused of trying to "take Christ out of Christmas," and some may well be, but many others might just be hoping to meet someone who celebrates Hanukkah , Kwanzaa, Festivus , or even more controversial and/or fictitious holidays.

Pages

Blog Archives

If you or someone close to you has suffered a serious personal injury, our attorneys are here to protect your rights. We handle a wide range of personal injury cases for clients throughout West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The scope of our practice includes car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and other types of negligence. We have a proven history of success obtaining favorable results for people like you.

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.

The results in a legal case depend on a variety of factors, many of which are unique to each case. Prior results by this firm or any other do not guarantee future results. Case results presented here are illustrations of the type of work done by Bordas & Bordas and not a guarantee that any prospective case will yield any particular amount.